


Who You?

by AngelsMayDie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: CharactersInLate20'sto30's, Fluffy?, I Don't Know Either, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Ten is Skippy, ex-lovers au, miserable shot to midlife crisis?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-16 20:32:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9288518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelsMayDie/pseuds/AngelsMayDie
Summary: Jung Jaehyun, at 29, is in a mid life crisis. He finds himself surrounded by his friends who are settling down – marriage, family. Destiny must be telling Jaehyun something when he once again sees Kim Doyoung, his ex-boyfriend from 7 years ago. Jaehyun and Doyoung were a perfect couple and were to tie the knot. It all ended at the altar when Jaehyun had a bout of cold feet and left Doyoung alone in the aisle.Now, Doyoung has no recollection of Jaehyun, having acquired amnesia sometime after the wedding fiasco. Jaehyun seizes this perfect opportunity to pursue lovely Doyoung again, and be able to tamper all the mistakes he made in the past.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Flash backs and narration >.<  
> Bear with it XD

July 27, 2016     11:00 A.M.  
  
  
“The recent census reveals that 10 million people roams the streets of Metro on a daily basis. How much more does the Earth holds?  
  
But in that sea of people, it’s seemingly impossible to find ‘the one’.  
  
Maybe you already passed each other but failed to spare that one magical glance.  
  
Maybe he was already beside you when you noticed your shoelace where undone.  
  
Maybe you were already face-to-face,  
  
across the street,  
  
but there was this bus obstructing your scenery.  
  
  
  
Among these people,  
  
...the lucky ones already found their destiny...  
  
...some were still looking for the one...  
  
...some just surrendered, already done...  
  
  
But you know what’s the saddest that could ever have happened?  
  
It’s when you already have that person, but you let him gone.  
   
Imagine this.  
  
If in this lifetime, that fated encounter arrives only once,  
  
no second takes, never another chance,  
   
would you let him pass...now that he’s with you?”  
  
  
  
  
  
A petite woman, probably in her mid twenties, quietly weeps, choking up her sobs as she wipes the tears in her eyes. Jung Jaehyun, professional wedding planner, full time event organizer, part time psychiatrist to emotionally unstable brides-to-be, the champion of emotionally-battered husbands-to-be, was preaching to a certain Kang Seulgi who a minute ago was throwing a fit because her fiancé, Im Jaebum, was incapable of producing a legitimate snorkeling priest to officiate their underwater church fantasy wedding.  
  
"You know, second chances are always difficult to came across, maybe it won't come ever, Ms. Kang or should I say Mrs. Im." He winked playfully.  
  
His work here is done as the two lovebirds kiss and make upon realizing that marriage is not about the ceremony, rather the life-to-be, of course, booking a non-priest snorkeler who has been vested the power to marry couples by the state.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Same day 2:25 p.m.  
  
Men and women alike were dressed in plethora of conventional hanboks, gathered out in a makeshift outdoor hall. The white clouds of the summer sky complemented the white sands of the shore as the coconut trees provide them shade, conspiring all together into a tropical paradise. Hand-woven rattan torch sears with dancing flames – mysteriously completing the fresh vibe of hybrid beach and traditional ensembles.  
  
“Perhaps his already dead.”  
  
“Heavens! Where is he? Wedding should have started thirty minutes ago.”  
  
“I made it!” Jaehyun was trying to catch his breath, clutching the side fabric of his chiffon cream hanbok but then sprinted once again in the improvised aisle wrought in red velvet not minding the procession already made its way to the interim altar as he tries to beat the line already marching to be at first, originally were he oath to be. At his hasty unorthodox stint, he bumps on Yuta’s shoulder almost sending him to the ground. “Sorry bitch, best man coming through.”  
  
“What a VIP! You’re not the star of the show, hoe!”  
  
The Japanese still holds grudges on him for ‘cheating’ his way to the best man position.  
  
At the end of the cortege, couples Moon Taeil and Lee Taeyong walking the walk of their life. Step by step, hand in hand, hearts as one, they lay their promises bare for the world to witness – a life together, can be full of misery and struggles, perhaps happiness and fruitful even in midst of vagrancy, but either way – they’re one.  
  
After the solemnity of the wedding, comes the crowd favorite: the reception. The venue just so happens to be in a nearby hut by the shore. It sounds so modest by itself; however, the place is nothing less extravagant than the rite. Jaehyun swish away the dangling dried driftwood and ceramic seashell garlands at the luxurious cabana’s entrance, as he entered, he noticed that most of the crowd, the newly weds included, switch into clothes more suitable to the party. Men go around with board shorts, floral polo in their top to complete the look of summer getaway, women struts into block tank tops and very begetting shorts – no bikinis though, Taeyong specifically banned such skimpy attires. Taeil and Taeyong giddily succumbed into the people’s request of affectionate display as they chant ‘Kiss!’ after the cake slicing ritual and the mandatory couple wine drinking; that kiss marks the start of the night full of alcoholic talks and shameless flirtations of those single or desperate or both, even those who were taken but desperately dreaming of being single.  
  
“I never understood why would couples put a lot of effort to sip a wine like that. Love shots?” Johnny Seo, the resident dreamboat who like to paddle across the sea of fishes by himself, said in abhorrent derision.  
  
“You’re just jealous because you’ll never going to get tied down!” Hansol said. Yuta looked at his husband with deathly glare.  
  
“Of course I love being tied down...like you d–.” This particular remark earned him a nice flacon punch in his chest.  
  
“How about the one with purple polo?” Johnny puckers his lips to point the direction of a guy who sports a blond hair, sitting by himself at the bar, swishing a half-empty shot glass at one hand.  
  
“One.” Jaehyun said nonchalantly. His squad teases him again, no relationship for seven years? He’s definitely okay since he practically married his job.  
  
“One?! Really? Your standards are out off the charts, dude.” Johnny said, others where pretty much agreeing with him.  
  
“Wow that’s too harsh. He has nice chest muscles though. Well...that slanted-eyed girl in orange scrunchies.” Dong Sicheng, the dance instructor cooed at the exotic looking girl who appears to be available.  
  
“Four? Well 3.5, I guess.” again, he uttered with shoulder squared and apathetic nonchalance instilled in his aura.  
  
“Hallelujah! For the first time since forever! Jaehyun giving somebody more than a ‘two’, now that’s something. Why don’t you make the move? Go.”  
  
The newlyweds walk down to their high table with their official photographer in tow yelling ‘picture time!’. They assembled, the three towers (Johnny, Jaehyun and Sicheng) at the back and the two power couples slightly forward so that 7 of them would fit in the same frame.  
  
“Jaehyun is being a prick tonight. He was just rating people here but it doesn’t look like he was looking for somebody.” Yuta mouthed through his smile to Taeil when he leans for the pose.  
  
“Stop bugging him. Maybe he already found ‘the one’. But he doesn’t know it yet.” Taeyong cheekily quips.  
  
“Who could it be???” and so the guessing game begins...again, unfortunately. Jaehyun begins to question his life choices before but surely he's not the one malfunction so he should be asking his friends life choices.  
  
“Was it the model?” Johnny suggested.  
  
Jaehyun choose to shut his lips all through out the embarrassing stretch but his mind sort of wonders to the past. The model? Her face and body was top notch. Apparently, she was too vain for her own good as he remembers all the time they had or the lack of it. His first relationship was a mishap and it ended in just half a year but subtract all the time his ex spend on the mirror, putting excessive questionable concoctions in her face which is totally unnecessary with her pretty face. Jaehyun felt like he was just her trophy.  
  
“It could probably the gym instructor. He was so hot.”  
  
His relationship with the gym instructor was hardly better that his first. It even started on a rockier road as it’s hard on his part to accept this type of sexuality... man on man...Then it turned out pretty well on the first three months until...let’s just say that men with 8 pack abs don’t put that much work just to date one person. He is a sick, two-timing dick wad, as Jaehyun would like to describe him in the least condescending way.  
  
“How about the teacher? Isn’t she very caring?"  
  
Well, not to be a douche but she treats him like a baby. She always packs him food. She always checks up on his meal time. It was very endearing at first but after a year, it got bland. Jaehyun wanted to be treated as a better half not a burden.  
  
“No! Silly! It’s the janitor!”  
  
“Nah, let’s not go to that. He’d chop my head and my limbs, then bury it in different continents.” He playfully uttered but despite the friskiness, hints of remorse still laced those words. Soon enough, the commotion about his love life died down, but it stirred up an untouched frailty. The group dispersed, minding their own business, finding something to do or someone to do.  
  
  
  
  
  
July 28,2016  
3 a.m.  
  
The clock was striking two. Jung Jaehyun, sighing his disdain and tipsiness, has his hands tuck beneath his chin while sitting at the edge of a fountain with two sand-clad feet below his knees. Baroque cantatas and drunken laughter foregrounds the seaside night air as the merriment in the straw hut hadn’t died down when the sun is about to be reborn and grace the sky with its beams of life. Jaehyun, the wedding planner, took the liberty to wander around the resort, letting the fine sand grains tickle the spaces between his toes and suck in the night ocean breeze as the moon reflect the last of its light.  
  
The janitor...he tried to erase all of his memories of him but he miserably failed in doing so he choose to lock it just in case he needed it someday. Illogical and pathetic excuse for not moving on...  
  
  
  
  
This is story of a man that was.  
  
  
February 12, 2008  
  
“Nine and a half. This is not a drill, soldier! Hottie alert! I repeat! Hottie alert!” Lunatic Captain Seo whispered among us annoyingly nudging my shirt particularly.  
  
I was moping around. I knew this was a disaster. My friends were supposedly a bright bunch, but their life choices are rather questionable as I found myself being drag down to a ‘Mixer Ball’ at a bar in the red light district of Seoul that night because Johnny's nursery school just sailed it's first week and what any other way to celebrate it than to bang somebody. How appropriate for a kid's teacher? Right?  
  
Most participants here digress themselves as they submit to a minute of mindless ‘flirtation’ to make an impression – sort of a speed dating and from the start; I knew it’s Johnny’s witlessness and thirstiness that I’m trapped here. My only consolation here was the buffet waiting for me so it wasn’t much of a bad idea. Food. I’d take that.  
  
“Well...Nine” Taeil chastised. I whipped my head to Taeil hyung first, because I’m surprised as hell that he spared a penny to somebody that is not his long time crush – Lee Taeyong, and then focus on to the cause of all the cat calls. I felt a strange surge of panic as I eyed a tall clementine-haired man panicky roaming from the entrance. His round caramel eyes were half hidden in his soaked bangs but it didn’t conceal his cuteness. My eyes raked down his body and there rut muscles revealed its contours through his drenched shirt. It was unfair of him to have a body of a Greek god and a face as smooth as a newborn. He was one wet, hot mess. HOT. HOT. MESS~  
  
I was probably ogling at him stupidly that Johnny started teasing me. “Well somebody was all too happy about the wet show.” In a second his eyes lock down on mine and I might be too assuming but I just think he was smitten – either that or he was just constipated. Now that was one more thing that makes this night less sucky-er. In my head, is a mess of possible scenarios I created to hook him up with my charms – should my golden pick-up lines enough or do I have to go full sexy on him. I was building this on my head too much but it crumbled way too fast. “He’s not available for night, too bad.” He heard Sicheng sighed as he eyed again his newfound eye candy now wearing a hideous baggy one-piece suit while mopping the floor. It’s true; he was actually an employee, so much so, a janitor.  
  
It's not the job his hating, he never dare say it, God forbid Yuta having the knowledge of this but he had the fantasy of being done and undone roughly by a man on the job but reality sucks because it won't permit it to happen without a sex tape that he would regret in his twenties and regret it again in his forties when one of his children are old enough to access gadgets and  stumbles upon it floating around the net. It's just that WHY? WHY NOW?  
  
The screeching bell signaled the start of program. I mindlessly sit on one of the chair arranged in a big circle and placed my hand on the table. Everything was weird for me. The weird overly cheesy music, the weird minute-to-win-it-thirsty-hoes-edition speed dating shit, the weird people I have to awkwardly introduce myself to, the fact that all I my bank of adjectives was virtually zero or even overdrawn and the only think that I can use is the word ‘weird’, they are out-of-place. I’m out of place. Everything was just so out of place.  
  
“So I was driving my Ferrari when – “ I felt my jaw locked with all the forced smiling after 10 minutes and ten weird bunch of potential hook ups (two socially inept, one self-proclaimed Jesus incarnate, five awfully sex crazed and probably underaged, a forty year old virgin, and currently a hunk but a total braggart). “Bitch, faster! In need a sub.” I did not shout that but that's my message that I want to come across with my eyes but Nakamoto gets it immediately prancing in with his ass swaying and I wave him at him like crazy. I beckoned him to be in my stead and thankfully he agreed.  
  
“You’re not allowed to partake in here. Are you not like married or something?” Johnny whispered to the Japanese only to sassily retort with “Just engaged” and the middle finger.  
  
I left that dreadful, pathetic flirting station in search for my one true love, it may be too early but guess what? Yoonoh don’t give a damn.  
  
Target spotted! The cute janitor was near the door with ‘unauthorized person not allowed beyond this point’ casually wiping beads of sweat trickling on his face. Well not casually – more like seductively. I sneak up on his right side, blind from his peripheral vision. “Hey, I’m Yoonoh” It’s clear that he was startled...by my beauty of course! “Uhmm!” God, he looked more angelic in this proximity, not even the ugly outfit can deface his gorgeousness. He was all confused and hesitant and he still refused to look at me, deciding that the bucket of used murky water suddenly became more divine than the one and only me. “I’m not a part of this –“  
  
So he’s the shy type. Rawr. “No. No. It’s all right!” I cut him off. “I just need to know if you believe in love at first sight.”  
  
“No. Sorry” I knew he was going to say no, he was sort of predictable. Shoulder squared forward and head hunched slightly towards the ground as if full of insecurities (which is highly illogical with that smoking bod), he’s not the one-night-only type of person and he probably likes to start slow. Very slow. I rushed away from him. He looks to his right where I was standing before, more confused and a big possibly branding me an oddball throwing random questions and wordlessly fleeing.  
  
“How about love in second sight?” I winked at him with a subtle temptation (not too slutty, nor overtly friendly either) and startling him again now this time from his left like I magically ‘poofed’ there. He laughed. He laughed for a short moment, dazzling pearly whites. There was a victorious feeling welling in me as I manage to get him comfortable. I had to resist worshipping his insanely cute bunny teeth because I still need to rip out his heart just like he did to me. Well it’s unfortunate that he has done it effortlessly – by just breathing, by just existing.  
  
Game face on, smile and get chopping! I need him this instant!  
  
“I knew it! I am a camera.”  
“Why?”  
“Because I can make you smile.”  
  
There it is again! His smile! This time, it’s lasting. As much as I wanted to faint on the spot, I have to pull my shit together and act cool. Nobody flirts back at dead bodies. Calm your tits Jung!  
  
“You know what “ he started “you might not get home tonight.” Oh! He’s dropping the cheese bombs, too. Score!  
“Why is that~”  
“Because you’re already trapped here, in my mind.” Whoo! Good shit in! Bad shit out! Breathe! Breathe bitch, he won’t be marrying your cold dead ass if you die. I let out a small appreciative laughter, too calculated. I mustn’t let him know I’m slaughtered inside.  
  
“You know if you’re a basketball, I couldn’t score even a single point.” I have to fire back; I have learned the ways from Johnny-sensei.  
“Because you would always miss me?” Crap! He knows that! Try again! A half smile is still lingers in his face but I have too keep up!  
  
“You’re a piece of shit.” Now the 50% smile just went to zero-smile fast and looking 100% scandalized.  
“Huh!?”  
“Because I can’t possibly play with you without feeling bad.” And we’re back at it folks!  
  
“I’ve never been compared to a crap.” He said with a heartily laugh. “Doyoung. I’m Kim Doyoung.” He offered me handshake. God his hand is so big and everybody knows what it means...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
April 17, 2008  
  
  
It feels strangely heavenly, lying next to angel. Doyoung’s face looks lovelier without the creases of tension in his forehead. I wallow in the bits of his body, worshipping inch by inch. With my fingertip, I caressed his cheeks. Light and careful touch at first, am too afraid he’d be my mirage, just vaporizing with no admonition. Touching again, this time with more wanting so I could own him the furthest permissible.  
  
I started over again, from his handsome forehead; I let my index and middle finger crawl over his features – his brows, his lips, his chest. Tip tap. Tip tap. Pitter-patters from the harsh weather couldn’t weather down my heartbeat. After two months of being together, I’m still too perplexed by his perfection. He looked more and more comfortable recently, way more confident but he still looked out of place.  
  
I still felt out place.  
  
Doyoung stirred, eyes as wide and innocent as ever – as timid like always, too. How can he be too shy of his own skin even after he just ruined me in the most pleasurable way?  
  
Seconds and minutes of looking into his eyes, I’m searching for something I don’t know of. I knew too, that he feels the same.  
  
Everything felt right, but essentially incomplete.  
  
“Will you marry me?” It slipped out of my tongue.  
  
The word vomit caught him off guard.  
  
It caught me, too.  
  
Maybe along the lines, my right place was by his as mine is him.  
  
I was worried of his facial expression. It was neither gladly surprised nor serene contemplation looming on his face. I was walking on fire when I saw his pain. I’m hurt, but instead of being devastated that he implicitly rejected me, I’m more concerned of his pain. Could I heal it? I sauntered to my wardrobe, stark naked and ignoring the stings between my legs and started rummaging for something. There I found it!  
  
“You see, my mother always scold me for I was too forgetful when I was young…forgetting my things when I'm not even sick. She even told me that I will die and the cause was because I just forgot breathing! Hahaha” I started untangling the red polyester thread from its spool, cut up to what I approximated as a quarter of a meter with my teeth and wrap it around his ring finger of his right hand.”...So she always gives me a ring to remind me...to remind me that she always loves me no matter how stupid I am or was or am still – I don’t know. Haha.” I feel a little pathetic, but I can’t stop feeling this down. It’s a damn two-month old relationship, don’t you dare cry! “Wear this ring...so that you can look at it and remember that in this day, there’s one more person who loves you so so much. He loves you so much that he even had no second thoughts of marrying you. –“ my rambling was prematurely terminated by enveloping in a bone-crushing embrace.  
  
If this was an ordinary day in the calendar, I would be totally be turned on by the inexistence of propinquity between our bodies. No clothes, not even air separates us. All I feel is a sheer, unconditional contentment. He then withdraws from the contact and fishes his phone from sitting at my nightstand. He held his hand with the makeshift red ring out, stretched, fingers apart and beside my cheeks. “Smile!” He said as he snaps a photo of me and his hand. “So that I can remember more of the person who made me this happy.” He kissed me with no lust or what so ever. For the first time, my shy Doyoung kissed me without teasing him, coercing him… nor making him drink.  
  
In hushed tone, he said shouted for my ears only “Yes. Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”  
  
Now I know my place, just with him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
July 28, 2016 3:29 a.m.  
  
  
He took a sip of vodka from the bottle he was carrying around when he escaped the post-wedding hoorays. Jaehyun looked back to the best memories of him – their first meeting, his own promiscuity of forcing him to do crazy things, their promise to marry, the ordeal of wedding preparation, even trying on a wedding dress and pretending to be a beautiful bride for Doyoung but all of it ended messily just like he willingly choose to end it with him. The memory of himself idiotically running away after the first piano key sounded the wedding march flooded him, drowning him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doyoung enters.  
> Jaehyun wants to give up.  
> Winwin won't let him lose.  
> Sanity exits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied. It would probably be in 5 parts basing on how small I cut the whole.  
> But that's okay.   
> I'm trash.  
> And probably this fic, too. XD

 

 

August 30, 2016 5:42 a.m.

 

One of the perks on weaving luxury for wealthy people was bathing in some of it's remains and that’s how Jaehyun got very lucrative promotional coupons from one of his clients to one of the grandest hotels of the nation at the moment: Thousand Promises.

Thousand Promises claims it’s ardour as colossal halls with chryselephantine bas reliefs and prissy tapestries confuses the hell out new comers. Seemingly labyrinthine, Jaehyun, together with Johnny and Sicheng, walked the lobby and failing miserably in navigating their way to the dining hall for breakfast where the rest of his squad was waiting for them.

 Life seemingly tells him something.

Couples of all ages suddenly swarmed the hotel and it got him somewhat triggered – all the embracing, kissing, talking. He wants to vomit on the spot. Not that the hotel is not elegant enough nor was it hostile in anyway conceivable, just the atmosphere created by these icky displays made his passive-aggressive sociopath persona alive and he wonders why the other two were not on the same page.

 

He tries to tear his attention away from adults who could not wait to get their own private quarter and wants to play tongue fencing with their partners. He looks at little lad doing what most kids excel at, being an obnoxious pushover. The kid was running and running around, and along the way, he knocked down a girl of his own age. He was expecting the boy just apologize automatically, as if the girl would not still cry, and everybody would go home peacefully but the instead illegally plucked a flower from the antique vase and hand it to her with a smile of what seems to be full of admiration. “Kids nowadays!” Jaehyun rolled his eyes, bitterness on fleek, quickening his pace and his companion judging him hard.

 

Jaehyun declared that he finally lost it! He’s lost and hungry and trapped in five-star ‘brothel’ as he may have put it. To put the cherry on top of his misery, he’s hallucinating of him. He defensively crouches and comically hides his face in the gigantic potted plants as if a loan shark was at his balls. “What’s happening?” Johnny, as mindless as he always will be, mindlessly mimicked his actions and looking more idiotic than Jaehyun is. Sicheng, too is on the double.

 

“Kim Doyoung?” he answered in low voice so only Johnny and Sicheng could hear.

 

“Your Doyoungie?” Johnny asked with a volume too loud for his liking.

 

“SHHH! I think?...” Jaehyun wasn’t sure. Maintaining that embarrassing stance like a cluster of bimbo, they followed a tall figure clad in a simple dress shirt and slacks like one of the bellboys, nose buried in between some sort of clipboard. The man was absolutely magnetizing, even in the distance and only his side profile was available to view– the way he stand stolid, the way his clean-cut black locks pushed back to accentuate his strong face, the way his brows quirking indicating his laser focus on what he’s reading, everything about that person is hypnotizing. He was not just looking like a god, he’s poised like one. Heck, Jaehyun is certain he smells like god with all the meters dividing them and he doesn’t know how gods supposedly smell.

 

He had his face but he wasn’t his Doyoung.

 

His Doyoung, despite his towering built and height, will always walk with unsure steps and eyes hyper aware of his surroundings like he was a disenfranchised kid. His Doyoung doesn’t like black or white or plain block colors – remembering that entire weird palette he’d don on their dates tastes bittersweet in the memory. His hair used to be freaking orange, orange, eclectic and dazzling. His Doyoung was an insanely cute awkward turtle and that man’s aura was at the opposite end of the spectrum or possibly in a mutually exclusive realm.

 

Jaehyun is chickening out for the best reasons. For one, he wasn’t even certain if that man out there was Doyoung. What if they just coincidentally have the same features? And if he somehow is Kim Doyoung then in what universe would Jaehyun could show him his face, the face of the cold-hearted bastard who desolated him in what he supposed is the most celebrated day of his life, and expect him to be ecstatic or at least be welcomed.

 

He wants to stay away. He needs to stay away. Should he not be Doyoung then he’ll save himself from a lot of humiliation and flirting with an empty stomach is a big no. Should he happen to be, then remaining concealed save both their hearts from unnecessary ‘feel’ trips and open wounds that time aided to heal.

Yes, time and temper healed those but everything haven’t yet scarred and ready to be replaced.

Jaehyun is earnestly glad he is okay if he really is his Doyoung. With a sigh he spun on his heels, about to resume the search for the grand dining hall and – “KIM DOYOUNG!!! MY MAN! IT’S ME–” Johnny, the retarded ape, decided it was a good time to let the hell lose. “PIECE OF SHIT!” Jaehyun tackled the older to the ground to cut him short and silently praying the man or any other soul for that matter won’t look at their way.

 

Too late though; Johnny’s stunt elicited the entire lobby’s attention. Still recovering from the fall, Jaehyun gathered all his courage to walk up to him and interact face the face. Now properly facing the man, Jaehyun is more confident it is his Doyoung.

 

He misses his eyes.

 

Despite the years lived, those caramel eyes were bright as ever but at the back of his mind it burns, yes, without a doubt, the cold it holds burns.

 

“He-hello. Have you been doing well? Doyoung.” He stuttered.

 

“Who are you?” Wow, Jaehyun felt stupid – _he must really be incredulously looking alike_.

 

“Do I know you? I’m sorry I had amnesia. I don’t remember anything since my accident.” That’s why there was no spark of recognition in his eyes. This declaration somehow eases the confusion but a tiny voice inside him whispered lament. “I’m sorry if I couldn’t remember you. I had to report to my boss so...See you when I see you.” He bid goodbye with a distant and civil smile and prancing away with augustness in every step. Jaehyun should be melting with how fine Doyoung had become – from boyfriend material to bona fide daddy, but he was more sad because he couldn’t remember him at all.

 

Even a little of anger would be far better than not knowing at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same Hotel, Same morning...9:01

 

“Amnesia? What’s this, a Kdrama? That’s bullshit!” Yuta said in between sloppy bites of his toasted Panini, trying hard to eat half-a-sandwich with grace but failing epically. After spending more minutes lost, now Jaehyun, Johnny and Sichengg found their way to their friends and Johnny doing what he does best – being Johnny, he tattled their encounter with Doyoung.

 

“He just angry at you.” Taeyong nonchalantly quips for the sake of ‘group participation’ when everybody knows he’s out of it, eyes still glued to Taeil’s mouth devouring a smoked sausage with innocence but Taeyong’s imagination over sexualizes it as per usual. “That’s what I told him!.” Un-culturated Johnny butted in with half chewed food in his mouth. “If you already discussed it, then what’s the use of this conversation?” Yuta must be in his man period as he was in a savage spree.

 

“Then what if it’s true. I mean Doyoung is not obligated to explain his predicament.” Taeil defended.

 

“LOL! How many of believed in that? That’s a rhetorical question, Sicheng. Put your hand down. Like how many of you knew a person with amnesia thingy?” Yuta outburst.

 

“Love, it doesn’t prove a point.” Hansol said while feeding his husband a portion of his mashed potatoes. “Having the knowledge of someone suffering a disease or the lack of it does not validate nor disprove this situation he's asserting.”

 

Jaehyun was playing with the lobster on his plate, impaling it with his fork, then his knife, and then his fork again like some voodoo doll. He’s definitely disoriented. He asked himself – Why now? Why does he still feel...something? Years already passed, he, in his own volition, undid the tie between them himself.

 

“Causes of amnesia...” Johnny started reading Wiki articles from his mobile “severe blow in the head.”

 

“Maybe he actually had to go through a horrifying accident.” Taeyong joined with more enthusiasm now, thankfully snapping from his early morning fantasies.

 

“Bro, I actually don’t buy it. He doesn’t look like it. If you thought he was a secret hottie because of his awkwardness back then, then prepare your dry panties. I’m pretty sure I’ll never bottom, like hell never, but if he asked me to toss his salad, I would. NO further negotiations required. That guy is a walking masterpiece.” Johnny weighed in and the comment made Jaehyun want this ugly excuse of a hyung dead.

 

“Oh wait! Maybe it was the day the wedding...when Jaehyun left...He was very heartbroken. He was so upset that he ran out of the church...” Yuta narrated animatedly, complete with tonal variation, hand gestures and dramatic expressions, weaving the dreaded almost-wedding day with words.

 

“Doyoung kept running and running, in circles. He kept crying and crying while the sky weeps with him.” Taeyong collaborated with Yuta in brewing nonsense, establishing tension in the story.

 

“And while tears where cascading down his cheeks, he slowly tripped and broke his teeth when he hits his head in the gutter.” Yuta venomously chimed with morbid contempt in every word, spelling out tragedy in the story.

 

“THEN THERE WAS THIS TEN-WHEELER TRUCK!!!” There were collective gasped among the group. “But of course he wasn’t hit because it was in the other block!” The anti-climactic diversion earned the Japanese a good smack in his head.

 

“But while he was down, a part of his brain spluttered out with the memory of Jaehyun. Then WALAH!” And that ends Amazing Yuta-san’s stories. They were joking about it but Jaehyun is definitely mortified. He visualizes the scene vividly. If his memory serves him right, the evening he caught the cold feet was a rainy night. More broken than he ever was, his Doyoung was running aimlessly in soaked tux and being hit by a truck. He shuddered in disgust just thinking about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yuta excused himself to the gent’s room for personal reasons but he unreasonably held back sue to his fascination. Even the comfort rooms appears to be more luxurious than any room in his house that he had to stay a bit longer to ‘cherish the moment.’

With a heavy heart, he left.

On his way back, he spotted a familiar face. Being fiery and bold, Yuta confronted the man, “Hey, Kim.” He brashly beckoned, expecting the person to flinch in absolute fear but he was the one jolted when the man who had Doyoung’s face turned to him. The man seemed to find no register in his memory upon seeing his figure. Yuta used to revel to the fact that Kim Doyoung bows down to him. But the tides are turned right now.

Yuta can’t come with comprehensible reasons because Kim freaking Doyoung was serving him eye candy. “You sure you don’t remember how bloody you fear me?” At the top of his voice were boastfulness but deep inside, he was the one marching on a plank because the man was being uncomfortably close to him.

“Oh my! How rude of me. I must be blind not to behold a beauty like you and not remember at all.” Doyoung said while still advancing to Yuta’s.

“If you allow me, I’ll make it up to yo- Ouch!” Yuta didn’t let him finish as his fist unconsciously formed a ball and delivered an uppercut to the sexual offender.

“You perv! I’m married thank you.” Yuta exits the steam, hands up in the air, middle finger straight.

 

 

 

 

 

Yuta sat beside his husband who eats like a goat, ‘til now, he can’t quite figure out Hansol’s vegan fanaticism but it’s the least of his concern right now. Guilt was consuming him and his friends noticed that. “Love? Why is your face so livid and pale? Is your steak uncooked? Should I demand the attention of the chef?” All of his friends were shook by the scene of Yuta sobbing. Yuta cries. ‘Yuta’ and ‘cries’ in the same sentence is the rarest breed of unicorn in the sentence construction world unless it’s ‘<insert name here> cries because of Yuta.’

 

“I’m so sorry, Love. It was unforgivable of me t – to...to –“

 

“To what? Love? What did you do?” Hansol was agitated, “I cheated! I CHEATED!!! There was this yum bellboy who winked at me and I ain’t gonna lie, I was turned on a little bit. But I swear,  he’s the one who made the first move. He seduced me, with all that lip biting and smouldering gaze!!! That weak spineless Doyoung evolve into a fuckboy and yes I’m thirty-one already but I’m still using teenager parlance but the hell, it’s the only way I could describe him!” Yuta threw a barrage of words all at once with no breathing in between then he reverted back to sobbing hysterically and the only thing hindering the crowd to hear his wails was Hansol’s hug, muffling his husband’s mental breakdown.

 

“I told you so!!!” Johnny felt triumphant at that moment because he outsmarted Yuta, well sort of.

 

“Oh wow! So you acknowledge that Doyoung really have amnesia?” Taeil asked inquisitively.

 

“Some friend you are, crybaby! I was hit on by a stranger and you’re more concerned about that pervert?! I can’t believe this! My marriage is breaking apart thank you for worrying bout that! My sons would grow up without their mommy and without a mommy who cook for them? I want them to taste real food, home cooked, filled with nourishment and love, not crawling live plants, no offense, love. A-And without a mother figure, Jesus! Jisung would be a part of ISIS or worse. He will be the next Donald Trump!” the Japanese went form sob–ish to diva-ish to full-blown mad.

 

“Love don’t punish yourself for this. This situation does not make me love you any less. It’s just a challenge and you did great for overcoming it! Now that makes me love you more.” Hansol can’t keep the saint in him and he’s perfectly aware that when he let go the ‘I do’ from his mouth, he should stick to him – for better or for worse, most of the time it’s the worse and he can’t deny it, Yuta is still bae as ever so boys and girls alike could flirt with him all they want but Hansol is so assured of their love.

 

“Well, I think it’s an important question though. Look at this. If Doyoung can’t remember at all, then Jaehyun here could stop a salty soloist. All he needs to do was to flirt back like the old days.” Wow that sounded very smart in the clique’s opinion, too smart coming from Sicheng actually.

 

“What?” Sicheng couldn’t recognize all the attention he was given.

 

"OMG! When a hot guy's at stake your brain just works." Johnny can be really shady at times.

 

“Never mind. Sicheng was actually making sense, Jaehyun! This is your chance. Grab it.” Taeil encourage Jaehyun who still felt clammy, and though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, his mind was already deep in an imaginary world.

 

“Nah, Hyung I’ll pass. It’s like taking advantage of his weakness again. For all other's care, I was just forcing myself to him. I seduced him, blatantly, needless to say. Before, he was so in need of someone. If I was the script  writer of this KDrama-esque scenario, might as well pretend that I was with him during the incident and we were married and I had amnesia, too. That would be an award winning plot twist. And besides, how can you tell he's not in a relationship. For all we know he might be happily married to some forest fairy or anything equally as gorgeous as he is. And assuming he is single, he probably met many people more compatible for him than me."

 

“That’s where you’re wrong Jaehyunnie!”, Taeyong jambs in the conversation. “I’m a psychiatry practitioner and a damn good one, too but during all those years in practice, I think I’m an expert in appraising one’s personality. I have yet to meet him but I can tell. You see, he’s just introverted but not severely and that fact alone says many things ‘bout his emotional capacity. Somebody told me he lived on his own for years before you met him. Still think I’m shitting? Then remember how bold his fashion sense is.” Jaehyun chuckled at that. His Doyoung walk like it’s couture, it’s not just because of his body that makes his ensemble work, it’s his attitude. “As for the incompatibility crap...Then look at this two.” Taeyong motion to Yuta and Hansol couple, the epitome of unbreakable bond of an angel who hurts his wings to reach down to his love who’s trying to crawl out from the depths of hell – to sum it up, Yuta is the devil and Hansol is an angel and they still love. They were nowhere alike, but they liked each other, they loved each other.

 

“What do you know? You do not actually meet and treat people with personality disorders, you cook drugs for persons with personality disorders. And for the record I never talk about any of my exes so how did you know about him. Must be Johnny.” Jaehyun is still afraid and unsure. “But at least, you're right. We never had an argument. Everything was natural but I’m so afraid. What if I hurt him again? I can’t do this twice. That’s too cruel.”

 

"First and foremost, I'm friends with all of you. That's more personality disorders one doctor can handle. And Taeil did. And lastly, my brain hurts from having two completely unrelated conversation at the same time. If were discussing about your man problems then spare me my job, will yah."

 

"Hey! You forced me to tell you why he's always alone." Taeil piped in.

 

"I'm not a loner! I'm a people person in case you're blind." Jaehyun defended. It’s true. Jaehyun is more than friendly. He had the magic touch that could give any stranger a sense of security, an absurd familiarity from unfavourable circumstances, anybody can find solace in him.

 

"Not actual alone, more like _alone-alone_. But enough of that. I'm sure you wouldn't want to do that twice. So you won't."

 

"I never wanted to hurt him the first time in the first place. But I did! I just did!"

 

"Just…just follow what your heart wants. There is nothing at stake."

 

"Follow my heart? That's a shallow cliche, not to mention, selfish. And there is something at stake, totally big if you cannot tell. You're talking about feelings here. Somebody’s feelings."

 

"And whose feelings is that? Yours or his?…You're afraid of being selfish but already are." Sicheng momentarily halted from worshipping his kid's meal to chime in.

 

"I - I fine! Let me stoop down to your level of reasoning.” Jaehyun is actually ticked because this time, he doesn’t like how Sicheng’s naivety grounding his logic. “Let's just say I successfully hooked up with him again. This time, we got married, had as many children as we want, lived in Jeju, and so on and so forth. How do you think I would react every time he randomly whispers to me that I was the most loving person he'd ever met in this lifetime or how grateful he is that he married a person not capable of hurting him when the fact that I really did exist and the worse, hid it from him. Soon I'll be fully consumed by guilt that I'll spill the beans or Johnny decided to 'accidentally' tell him, whichever comes first, and I'll once hurt him again because obviously I used his weakness to fulfil my own self-serving desires. He would curse the world because the foundation his oh so wonderful marriage is nothing but a big fat lie. Now, moving on to the alternative outcome of this deceitful and stupid idea you are proposing were I despite all my efforts, he didn't come my way, I'll be pigging out on tubs after tubs of ice cream and as much as heavenly eating ice cream sounds, it's not 'cuz I'll be fat. And even with the knowledge of devouring tons, I'll still eat it anyway because I'm heartbroken, and single then I'll be ugly the I'll be adopting 100 cats because I'm already forty with no one. The rest of you would be starting your own family, Johnny knocked somebody pregnant so he’ll be a slave of his own stupid each to bone hole. All of who would have children who you’d be busy raising while I feed my cats and memorize their names based on the colored patches in their body. Then next you will know, I'm already sixty and gross and I'll die alone. I'LL DIE. DIE SINGLE. DIE FAT. DIE UGLY!!!" Jaehyun was heaving and he wasn't aware that his voiced raised and that he was already standing.

 

He released a huge sigh after all that tirade but found his friends giving him looks. Silent stares like they knew

 

"Yup! His whipped!"

 

"His more deranged than Yuta -" Johnny received a good kick after that.

 

"If he's already married, there's that magical thing called 'divorce'. I mean look at me, getting one already!" Yuta exclaimed.

 

"Love! No one is getting divorced! God, Jaehyun! You're over thinking this. You clearly do have feelings for him all this time. Just try." Hansol convinced him.

 

"So what if I still have feelings for him? Does it concern him? Wh-"

 

"Stop it really. You've made it deadly clear that you're a sick school girl waiting for her handsome senpai to notice you. What are we asking you to do is to find closure. You’re the one left him hanging and in the process, you too was hanging because you ended it by not giving it an ending. Right now you may think it's has ended but your feeling aren't settled yet. You may think that his happiness is your happiness and it's definitely a flawed reason because you're either still too smitten or too guilty. Think of it this way, if he rejected you on the spot, then you can move on because he is not 'the one'. Looking at the other side, assuming that he likes you back, you always have the option to be honest about the fiasco during the earlier stage of your 'new' relationship before progressing in your kinky married life fantasy. He can either shun you away, which means he is not the one for you, or he could be accepting you despite your past and proceed with like thirteen children or something. Simple as that." Once again, the squad was dumb founded on how profound Sicheng can be when he is possessed by a thousand-year old wise man. It was a miracle.

 

"This so messed up!"

 

"Not 'this', you are."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aeons later…(that's how Jaehyun perceive it but it's just a week and three couple he wedded later)

 

Staying in this hotel was too money-draining for Jaehyun's liking but he's clients were not minding the accessorial expense on conducting his consultancy sessions in this fancy, high-end venue. Their management should be thanking the event planner because what he is doing is essentially free advertising on his part. Many of his loaded clients regarded the place as suitable for future gatherings, even the place for reception because the location fortunately coincides with a lot of wedding spots - be it beaches, lakes, churches, or even mountains for adventure-filled couples.

 

Jaehyun's week long 'not stalking' was not fruitful as he hopes to be. Reaching Doyoung proves to be a daunting task since he has no Social Media Accounts to 'not stalk' to so his only option to gather informations on his whereabouts was to 'not stalk' him in person. He doesn't even have a root to begin with, as Jaehyun knows things practicably next-to-nothing about the ‘new’ Doyoung.

 

Call him crazy but Jaehyun thinks that Doyoung is either an on-call reserve employee when there is shortage in manpower or he is a secret government agent on a mission to eliminate a threat to national security because he rarely sees him, just on 3 short-live occasions when he stayed in the lounge for at least ten hours a day-every single day that week since he's fully-booked. DOyoung's co-employees seems to not know him, too. The woman stationed at the reception table who he subtly flirted to just to squeeze bits did not even know Doyoung's name.

 

Jaehyun plans to retire for the day. It's nearing eleven and he was at the lower level, half of the parking spaces already empty. His tired eyes caught a glimpse of his Doyoung entering at the shotgun of one smooth ride. Jaehyun was jolted awake because the car was as handsome as his Doyoung is and the possibility of him being a sexy secret agent makes Jaehyun tingle in the right places.

 

The urge of 'not stalking' intensifies as he hastily jump on his own car, pumping gas as he step on the accelerator and skillfully tails the vehicle carrying his Doyoung.

 

It's tough following somebody without appearing to be creepy but Jaehyun just did right. After a twenty-minute drive, the car he's following stopped in front of a lofty house blasted with pastel blue. Jaehyun decided to push further and park ahead so that he could appear to just some car passing by. The house was certainly grand but the black high rise steel fencing slapped together presumably a declaration of hostility to knocked-up burglars.

 

The black sedan spit Doyoung who's carrying a briefcase out of the passenger's side nimbly unlocking the metal locks. Jaehyun's neck was too stretched and straining from observing him from the distance. Soon the driver stepped out of the car, revealing a male a good foot shorter than his Doyoung stands. The mystery man too entered the house skipping like a child – even matching humming with light steps, but securing the locks behind as he does.

 

Jaehyun was agitated. Do these two share the same roof? He ask himself questions pertaining to the unknown kinship between the skippy one and his Doyoung. Maybe he should already drop the 'his' part.

 

 

 

 

 

_Perhaps Doyoung wasn't his anymore._

 

_'His' was out of place?_

 

_He is out of place._

 

_No. Who?_

 

_I am._

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyways...  
> Don't forget to comment down below. I really value wards more than Kudos <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Ten is Skippy
> 
> 1996 liners (Kun, Doyoung and Ten) are the powerpuff gays <3

 

* * *

Jaehyun was doing okay, going back to normal. It's not in his intention to stay doing business at Thousand Promises but now his current clients and prospect is deeply infatuated with the place. The good word even spread as Jaehyun's itinerary he sketched revolving around the hotel he prepared for a celebrity couple leaks and piques the attention of budding couples and all mothers who's at the neck of their daughters to marry due to its fresh perspective of a start-up marriage.

Jaehyun guesses he should just move on. He probably did. He actually did…try.

But today, in some ways, is more special. It will be a little catching-up post-noon gathering, no planning with couples nor event managers to discuss trends, no meeting with suppliers either, just small talks with his close st friends. At first, the invitation is not as inviting as it sounds for his friends. Johnny seems to be expanding his operations. Sicheng was just an impulsive buyer and in the brink of bankruptcy. Hansol and Yuta saves for their two kids' future. Taeil and Taeyong is just stingy, mostly just Taeil. But the moment Jaehyun said it was all on him, they accepted 'coolly'…very coolly.

The organizer did not order as much, just sweet drinks to amp up his blood sugar and mostly his friends will shamelessly drain his money so he cut himself a little bit too much. Honest to goodness, he's actually cowering in fear of empty calories since he's been binge eating out of the Skippy situation.

He pretty much drank all beverage on the menu and he already lean on the toffee macchiatto, he thought as he  waits for his friends' orders to be placed. He allowed them to take a slice of anything they want but he was surprised when the table was tad bit overcrowd with a whole cherry-topped supple chocolate triple-truffle cake. He was clearly taken aback because the confection will blow away the bills in his pocket because Thousand Promises lives up it's name, a thousand or so bucks for thousands of electrified tastebuds.

"Miss…" he squinted his eyes more to read the golden name plate of the server who adorns a little bit more professional than the regular servers "Yerim. There might be some mishaps here. You see, we didn't order this -", he pointed on the cake.

"Don't worry sir. It's in the house." Phew~ that was relief. "This is a special treat for our VIP members." Yerim said the fear of denting on his savings came back to life.

"But I'm not a member, Ms. Yerim. I cannot acc-" Jaehyun knows he wouldn't enjoy if he's not entitled to this but he was interrupted again by the lady.

"Mr. Jung" she started, "it's this is just a small favor for your patronage. This trinket is beyond what you have given to Thousand Promises. In fact, the a higher-up wants to discuss business with you after this if it is possible."

"Do we get free membership and other stuff as well? Mr Jung's friends are invited as well, right?" Taeil butted in, honey voice used, yet his friends knew how Taeil’s mind works when something ‘free’ is involved.

After the little mini reunion party, the troupe found themselves in a modern Zen office, graced with the presence of vice president for operations. The VP who had these button nose and stunning onyx eyes to  match his smile introduced himself as Qian Kun.

The moment they entered the spacious room, Johnny and Sicheng had an intense battle of gazes but the younger manage to call dibs faster so he rallied the group behind him. The talk was neither too formal nor casual, just accommodating enough to be warm. Maybe it was the Sicheng’s flirty stares or was it Kun’s ability to work Sicheng’s mind. The conversation should revolve around potential business relations that could materialize but Sicheng was on the roll and the VP was oddly responding. Not in a disgusting I-want-this-as-much-as-you-do moves, rather he reciprocated with very fond smiles, like old lovers who had their fire seared and gush into a calming mature flame that younger couples would envy. Jaehyun has to admit, they look cute together but he sighed for grief. Sicheng must have been blind not to notice the simple silver band in Kun’s ring finger. He seemed faithful, too. Throughout his experience, Jaehyun learned most married men who tried to score would subtly hide their wedding rings but Kun seemed proud wearing it. Like he’s reacting to Sicheng’s advances out of politeness and camaraderie but with a hint of genuine comfort.

The session started with awkward introductions, Kun, as the host offered refreshments to which everybody (save Taeil  who still wants a taste of luxury) declines and reasoning that they just ate to their heart’s (and Jaehyun’s week worth of guilty sugary pleasure) content. A knock by the door interrupts them. All heads turned to the person and jaws were on the floor. The tall figure’s face show no consternation, neither tension, but the ‘Ouch’ from Ten when he collide with Doyoung’s back that caused his specs to misalign, frame needed to be repaired at least got Kun on a sensitive state.

Doyoung rested, standing beside Kun, standing a few feet back to foreground the VP. A shorter male who Jaehyun recognize as the ‘Skippy one’ fixes his glasses settled beside Doyoung.

  
Doyoung appeared to be cool, even adorning a confident smile. Jaehyun was mesmerized and mourning at the same time. His heart beats seeing him again but aches a little because Skippy was attached to him on his hip. “What a pleasant encounter this, our valued guests. I’m Kim Dongyoung, the executive assistant to the VP of External Affairs.” Kun and Ten appears to be biting their laughs which is an usual because the way Doyoung introduced himself is nothing but bland and traditional.

  
“VP why are you so rude. Don’t you want to introduce yourself?” Doyoung said through his stiff smile.

  
“Who’s the VP?” Skippy seems to be still out of the conversation because when Kun's laughter died down like nothing, Skippy's narrow shoulders bounced like his convulsing out of a joke. Skippy is just whimsical and Jaehyun has to admit he's a total looker. That just made him look like a wind fairy?

  
“Of course you are silly” Doyoung's words were light hearted but in Jaehyun's vantage, he changed a lot, even to call it drastic that the gentleness that use to accompany his lips were gone. Seven years is long but it's still to short to kill a man and birth a new.

  
“I forgot. Most of the time, I feel like the owner’s slave. How should I say this. He’s the worst.” Skippy seems to joke a lot, too. His sunny disposition is genuine and Jaehyun tries his best not to think that this person perfectly balance the 'new' Doyoung.

  
“VP for External Affairs” He said giggling at his position. “Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, at your service.” Skippy’s lengthy name got everyone else confused so he added, “You can call me Ten for short.”

  
(You can hear Johnny screaming “oh my gawd. He knew he’s a ten. He freaking knows!” while he drowns on his own drool.)

  
“This is Mr. Jung and his friends right here.” Kun facilitates the introduction while Jaehyun shakes Skippy’s hands. Jaehyun can’t help himself to feel envious of him. He had this eye catching face and beautiful smile. He himself was affected with the bubbliness emanating from Skippy. He looked perfect beside Doyoung, even the height difference was scarily ideal and he does walk beside him.

  
Skippy even lives with him.

  
Another reason to throw in his overflowing bucket of reasons to move on.

  
“I was about to send them to your office to finalize the arraignments but you’re already here. Would like to take over?” Kun motioned.

  
“I don’t know if I could function well. I’m too drained. Doyoung-ah~ Can you fetch my drink. Hot citrus tea. Make it as sweet as you are~.” Jaehyun was dumbfounded with the request, his eyes itching to twitch and fist ready to deliver a punch that requires a stitch. It's infuriating but he knows he does not have a say in it (he can give an earful).

  
Doyoung's face was red, probably  from how touchy the request was worded and petrified and that got Jaehyun more depressed because Skippy has the ability to thrill the man.

  
“Refusing, ey? Want to get fired I see.” Skippy was playfully playing with the taller's chin with his fragile fingers like he was taxing some baby.

  
Kun cleared his throat, “While you’re at it, make me coffee.  With non-fat milk, one sugar cube. Chop chop. I’m waiting!” Doyoung looked graceful taking orders.

  
Their banter, in anyone’s view, was harmless but it bugs Jaehyun to the core. Once, Doyoung was out of the room – presumably busy brewing beverages for his bosses, Jaehyun pretends that he had to meet someone important. Skippy convinced him to stay and he did. That guy has serious persuasion skills. In the five minutes they have known each other, they were already in a first name basis, though in his brain, Ten will forever be Skippy.

Doyoung came back with a tray of hot drinks, serving it to Kun and Ten, the two looks awed like it was the first.

“Doyoung-ah” Skippy called the attention of his assistant. “What do you think of Jaehyun-ah?” The question hits Jaehyun and Doyoung looked confused.

“You know, as a partner” Skippy’s choice of words were… controversial. Everyone could misinterpret the question but all Doyoung said was, “If I could humble you with an opinion of own, I would say that a partnership would be of value to both parties.”

  
Skippy clapped his hand, “Like taken directly from the thoughts of the mean ass president.”

  
“The president is not mean.” Doyoung defended in front of this clueless bunch.

  
“So, Ge what do you think?” Sicheng asked not really into the question but he is giddy to know they were from the same heritage.

  
“The president or the partnership?”

  
“Both.”

  
“I concur. On both. The partnership will definitely beneficial in any angle you look at. And yes, the president is peculiar.” From there, Ten and Kun took a turn each in spouting negatives.

  
“He thinks he’s right all the time.”

  
“One time, he fired an employee because he breathed the same oxygen as the president.”

  
“He’s lazy.”

  
“He’s ugly that’s why he can’t be in a relationship up to this day.”

  
“He makes the pooper in a party pooper”

  
“I heard he aspires to be a Jedi so he’s practices Yoda.”

  
“He boring.”

  
“He talks to plants more than he talks to people.”

  
Everybody had a good laugh, even Jaehyun does but Doyoung didn't crack a little. The 'new' Doyoung is stone cold and the bosses were probably aware of this but Jaehyun can't help but to find him 'damaged'. His Doyoung likes jokes. His Doyoung laughs a lot, no matter how corny the punchlines are. His Doyoung, though shy at first, would always make ways to make people around him feel at home. But 'this' Doyoung is not 'his' Doyoung.  
He looks cool. But the more Jaehyun looks at him, he can't help but to think Doyoung is cold, almost lifeless.

  
Jaehyun’s night went okay. When he reached his apartment, scanning through his notifications consisting of a few worried text (from Hansol and Taeyong asking if you was well) and a barrage of text from Johnny pleading him to give ‘Eleven’s’ contact number and  a demand letter from Sicheng, ordering him to do whatever it takes to have Kun’s number. He was burdened to reply on each because his friends clingy asses would make his phone explode of missed calls, telling the legit hyungs he was ‘never better’, instigating Johnny and Sicheng to back it off.

  
Sleep creeps on him slowly. Impatiently. He was exhausted thinking about him but he still wanted to keep thinking of him.

The fated Sunday came. The day Skippy asked him to meet. Jaehyun parked his ride in front of a nauseatingly familiar house, hesitantly ring the bell and waited for Skippy to open the gates. He whistles a little, comb his hair with his finger then checks for any creases on his clothes to make sure he was presentable. Jaehyun was not certain of what is appropriate to wear so he opted for the classic look: white V-neck tees exposing his collar bones and a straight fitting chinos, just in the middle.

  
Skippy opened the gates and welcomed him with a wide smile.

  
Jaehyun found himself in a red bean bag chair, Doyoung and Skippy too sits comfortably on their own. Jaehyun was drawing conclusions on how they live based on the things he could find: the place was neat, minimal dust but it doesn’t have a designated theme, wall was ornamented too but all he can describe it was ‘whacky’ like Skippy takes over the job of decorating the walls himself.

  
“I guess you’re overdressed. You looked like a model by the way.” Skippy’s complement got him flustered because he does feel over-the-top when the two just wore a typical lazy house clothing: tracksuits, green for Doyoung and blue for Skippy. Doyoung’s were a perfect fit, showing how crazy his body proportions are but Skippy’s were two size larger than what is customary as his small hands drowned inside the sleeves. It’s cute but to some degree, it’s too domesticated, too familiar, too territorial? Perhaps.

  
He took Doyoung’s appearance in one go, bundled up in green and hair down. Jaehyun looked away the instant he met Doyoung’s gaze. His face seems annoyed. He looks back and he realizes how Doyoung's face was always frowning.

  
“Don’t mind his sour face. I’m sorry I forgot to notify you about his presence. If you want, you can ignore him.” Skippy then played with Doyoung’s chin, taunting him ‘Gonna fight, eh? Want to get fired?’ causing Doyoung’s foul expression to grow worse but redeemed himself praising how ‘pretty’ Doyoung looks in tracksuit Skippy revealed he himself bought for them.

  
This going to be long.

  
The discussion went smoothly and Doyoung was surprisingly (in Jaehyun’s point of view) participating, laying his insights and taking notes as well. He expects Skippy to be lovey-dovey with Doyoung and the talk would be a half assed as a result of his divided attention but Skippy was in deep focus. He felt an odd relief about that.

  
Soon the conversions went from chaotically normal to a two sided affair when Skippy stop talking altogether and immersed himself on his phone. Jaehyun felt somewhat victorious being engaged with a one on one conversation with him but the distant tone just sets the massive wall.

  
“Sir, may I remind you that you are in the middle of a very important meeting.” Doyoung bellowed Skippy’s attention but to no avail.

  
Seeing Skippy would not budge, Doyoung chose to continue since all that is left to do was to wrap it up not until Skippy giggled, no, laughed, no, he busted his nut rather.

  
“Who the fuck is that! Hand me that phone. Let me snap it in half.” Jaehyun was startled at the sudden outburst. It does not take a smarty pants to smell the green fumes from Doyoung matching the color of his overalls but the reaction was almost uncalled for.

  
“Some guy named Johnny.” Johnny, mother fucking Johnny say what! The last time he checked, Jaehyun rejected all of Johnny’s pleas, every single text that comes in every hour and he clearly remembered that he stopped suddenly which was oddly un-Johnny. He even detach himself from the group so as not to jeopardize his job because not only he did love what he does, he prefer his not to do them, too. He was racing out his brain, backtracking on things he had than and –Oh! Oh! God! He let the ape use his god-damn mobile because ‘emergency’ and he did not even put up a fight. Damn it.

  
“I’m so sorry about that. I swear I didn’t deliberately toss out your number like that.” Jaehyun apologize instantly cursing that sly, sly hornbag in the depths of his mind.  
“I don’t mind, though. He seems cute.” Skippy look at Jaehyun and asked, “Is he available?”

  
“Isn’t it appropriate for you to ask that?” Jaehyun asked Skippy with a disgusted expression. He maintains composure. At the back of his mind, all Jaehyun could think of was how thick faced the short man is for asking another man’s relationship status in a manner suggesting he is interested when he has his boyfriend right beside him. He gets it when people try to make their significant other jealous but Skippy is being absurdly genuine.

  
“Why is that? Do I look too ugly for him?” Skippy pouted, checking out his face at the phone’s reflection and doing facial exercised that Jaehyun’s certain he would find cute but not right now. Jaehyun is a degree away from his boiling point ready to give Skippy a nice wake-up bitch slap.

  
“Are you not in a relationship?”

  
“Who? Me. God, How I wish I was.”

  
He looks to Skippy then to Doyoung then back again to Skippy then back again puzzled as to how they are not together-together.

  
“You think I’m with this poop.” Skippy was in tears, laughing upon realizing what’s running in Jaehyun’s head. “No, no. Never.”

  
“Then what’s with the teasing and touching? The matching clothes? And the fact that you’re living together?” As if on cue, Kun showed up descending from downstairs. His eyes where still half-closed, sleepy and languid, even if it is almost noon. What’s more striking to Jaehyun was Kun was wearing a tracksuit that must be too long for him but unlike  Skippy’s, his was folded neatly on the ends and saturated with red.

  
“It’s not just the two of us. Kun lives here, too.” Ten informed.

  
“Good morning to you, Jaehyun-shi. Bubbles. Buttercup.” Kun greeted them one by one before he drank the water he served himself then retreated again upstairs like he had no real curiosity at all.

  
Skippy’s face frowned and he’s holding back something like he’s going to say ‘Bubbles is hands down the best power puff girl.’ but opted to talk to Jaehyun. “Well, is he or not?”

  
“Available? Johnny?...” He couldn’t process a proper reply because  
 a. Doyoung and Skippy is not a couple  
 b. He thinks Skippy is to good for Johnny  
 c. Skippy and Doyoung are not exactly living together  
d. Skippy himself denied he was not in fact dating Doyoung  
 e. a, c & d  
f. He’s brain is dead at the moment because he’s celebrating.

  
Jaehyun scolded himself for being ahead of it again. So what if the are not dating. That does not cross out the possibility of him dating somebody else. Is the 'new Doyoung' even gay?

  
“He’s okay.” Jaehyun pathetically croaked.

  
“He’s okay as in he’s single? He’s okay as in he’s married but his partner doesn’t give him any and now he needs a fuckbuddy? That’s barely an answer.” Doyoung growled at him but Skippy hushed his rudeness immediately.

  
“He is. Ummmm.”

  
Jaehyun hesitated because not only that Skippy's unbelievably sunny that he'd hate himself if Johnny spoiled it since it's not that far from impossible but also he's somehow indebted to him on a personal level.

  
"See even his friends knew he wanted you just for a good fuck. Quit dreaming. And Jaehyun-shi, thank you for your patronage. I'll just send the proposal to your office once finalized." Doyoung haughtily declared.

  
"How would you know that all Johnny does was to get in my pants." Skippy said, not defending Johnny but in a taunting tone.

  
"He looks like a fuckboy."

  
"He looks like a flower boy!"

  
"Right! Flower boy my ass. For all I know he's the one to search for a flimsy little flower like you, water them a little and PLUCK them faster than you can say 'I like you'. Open your eyes."

  
Jaehyun is angry.

  
But he's more sad because he doesn't know to whom that anger was directed. To Johnny because Doyoung seems to spell out precisely what Johnny would usually do or to Doyoung because he just crossed the borders of being standoffish and Johnny, no matter how terribly true Doyoung said, he's still his friend or maybe to his own self because no matter how jealous he is of Skippy and the concern he is getting from Doyoung plus the fact that Doyoung was explicitly rude, he does not have the guts to hate the any of them.

 

 

 

 

"Why did you steal Ten's number?" Jaehyun storms in Johnny's office.

  
"SHHH! Stop shouting, you'll scare away people."

  
"The classes are over!"

  
"You'll scare away the parents. You'll boot away the potential revenue."

  
"I don't care. I mean how are you even qualified to teach children. Much less, build your own school."

  
"Get a permit. Easy."

  
Jaehyun turns his wrath down a notch but he still had the pointed look at his face.

  
"Give me your phone." Jaehyun asked, dangerously quite.

  
"Why?" Johnny asked in fear, holding his mobile near his chest.

  
"Just give me the freaking phone." Out of life preservation, Johnny complied.

  
Jaehyun started fidgeting on it but Johnny had to say, "If you plan on getting rid off his number, I memorized it already." in a just-so-you-know tone.  
"I'm texting him."

  
"No!!! You're going to give me bad name so I won't be able to hold him! You're sick! Give me that!" Johnny tried to snatch his own phone but he was restrained on his principal chair.

  
"Sent!" "Oh come on! I just asked him something."

  
"In my name?"

  
"I can't ask him directly."

  
"Why can't you?"  
"I have to hide my identity."

  
"Oh he replied fast. Less than 5 seconds. Spicy" Jaehyun read the simple reply and shouted 'WOOHOO!' then proceeded to his sloppy victory dance and toss the phone without minding where would it land and potentially damage it beyond repair. Johnny get his phone checking the conversation Jaehyun made with Ten in his behalf and it goes like this:

  
'I have a  life-threatening question that must be answered fast. Is Doyoung single?'

  
'Yes.' Simple and concise. The three letter word made Johnny shiver because it was not accompanied with any emoji because Ten's messages are patented like that.

  
"Mother-Father! What have you done?" Johnny was at Jaehyun's neck right now.

  
"What's the matter, I didn't reveal any shit you have done." The other reasoned out.

  
"Thank you but what you have done is way worse than that. You freaking implied that I'm more interested in Doyoung than Ten."

  
"Haven't you told Ten that you want his ass?"

  
"And that's fucking cherry on top! I have not yet drop any hints that I like him. He will think I'm just using him to get on his hot friend like he's the good-for-nothing dumb ugly friend. And the way you phrased the question! He's freaking mad. I know it"

  
"I don't see it in his reply. 'Yes' seams pretty standard to me."

  
"You won't understand." Johnny looks really crestfallen and Jaehyun can not think anything to console him. Ne-nern-ne-nern. His phone indicated another message but he's too out of it that he just doesn't care anymore.

  
"It's Ten." Johnny's ears perk up like a puppy given his first chew toy. "It's a smiley."

  
"OMG! OMG! OMG! Text him."

  
"Why wouldn't you. You have your own hand."

  
"I'm trembling. Please. All you need to do is ask if we are okay. What the hell! Not that straightforward." His heart drums as Jaehyun punched send after typing 'Are you mad?'.

  
"Is there any other way of asking if a person is angry?" Then a reply came. 'Not really. And I'm pretty certain I'm not in the position to be.' followed by a sad face.

  
"He' sad."

  
"Thanks, captain. Now fly! More people needs you."

  
"Text hi- Give me that you retard." Johnny has to do this himself because Jaehyun was about to tell Ten 'would you like to have a dinner with me?'.

  
"What wrong with dinner invitations? Actually, the question that I am supposed to ask is: What's wrong with you?"

  
"Inviting someone over dinner means your only up for sex." Johnny explained but Jaehyun couldn't make dinner equate as a booty call in his mind after sending his message containing: 'I'm sorry. There's someone who's eyeing your friend and I can assure you it's not me and that person was blackmailing me to do his bidding. Forgive me.'

  
Jaehyun clicked his tongue after reading Johnny's sappy apology. Ten replied in an instant.

  
'I understand perfectly. But hey no need to be dramatic. Were just sexbuddies after all.' *smiley* *smiley* *chesire grin smiley*

  
Johnny fainted.

**Author's Note:**

> Long overdue...  
> I expected this to be a short one-shot yet until now it's ongoing in my to-do list.  
> My main OTP is dojae but 2tae moments are freakishly precious like married goals!  
> 1/3 may be a lie...just an estimate


End file.
